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Chile Minister Says Navy Made Mistake

Chile’s defense minister said Sunday that the navy made a mistake by not immediately issuing a tsunami warning after a mammoth earthquake, a step that could have helped coastal villagers flee to higher ground sooner.

Francisco Vidal said, however, that an alarm was later sounded by port captains. He said that saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.

“The navy committed an error in not alerting the tsunami,” Mr. Vidal said at a news conference.